LAFC pummeled FC Juarez in the 2023 Leagues Cup behind goals from Denis Bouanga and Carlos Vela.

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England’s players could have to wait until after the Women’s World Cup for the stand-off over bonuses to be resolved, as there is still no sign of a breakthrough in negotiations between the Football Association (FA) and Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), who are representing Sarina Wiegman’s group. The dispute centres on the squad’s argument that the governing body should supplement the landmark Fifa prize money with extra performance-based payment should the Lionesses get to the quarter-finals. That is largely due to the huge commercial upswing that has come with the team’s progress as well as the precedent set by squads of similar profile in USA and Australia. Their governing bodies have agreed deals in excess of the 60% of prize money guaranteed by Fifa, with both heavily performance-related. The FA were part of a group of federations that worked with Fifa to stipulate a hard percentage that should go directly to players, and The Independent understands that figure will of course be honoured. The players’ representatives have also been told, however, that it might be better for all parties to discuss bonuses after the World Cup as there could naturally be a huge difference in “commercial uplift” depending on whether the team reach the quarter-finals or win the tournament. As an illustration of this, the FA have in the last 10 days put down an offer that reflects the increase in sponsorship revenue from the last year and England’s historic Euro 2022 win. The arguments put forward by the PFA, however, are that this is lacking in transparency and that it would be better for all concerned if it would be settled beforehand. As numerous involved sources have also insisted, it is a situation that would simply “never happen” in the men’s game. “Can you imagine telling them we’ll discuss it when we’re back,” one said. The FA, whose discussions are handled by the commercial team, are pointing to the different dynamics of this competition – especially as it is the first 32-squad World Cup in the women’s game. There is also the issue that Fifa’s 60% stipulation means the prize money from the governing body does not fully cover the travel costs for a hugely expensive tournament, in the manner that customarily happens with such funds. While the FA will of course cover all of that, it is one additional factor complicating discussions over the prospective budget for this World Cup and commercial income. The governing body have attempted to assure the players that they will get fair reward for their contributions, but the PFA naturally want clarity now, especially as commercial income for the team has “skyrocketed” in the last year. The involved parties have been approached for comment although there is a will from all sides that it doesn’t devolve into a briefing war or disrupt a tournament that could yet bring a historic victory for the squad. Fifa’s new stipulations means that every player at the World Cup will be guaranteed at least $30,000, with that drastically increasing the further teams go. The team that lifts the trophy will be guaranteed $270,000 per squad member. Lucy Bronze this week expressed irritation that the situation had not yet been solved. “It is frustrating but I think that’s the way the women’s game has predominantly been. As a team we’ve always been pushing in the background, it’s only been recently that it’s been made more public and people are aware of it, but it’s something we’ve always had to do as players." Read More Lucy Bronze says ‘it’s a shame’ women have to fight for change amid bonus row Ellen White tips ‘proven winner’ Sarina Wiegman to lead England to further glory Talking points as England fly out ahead of Women’s World Cup

Gibraltar defender Jayce Olivero will approach Monday night’s Euro 2024 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland as “a final” as the minnows look to add to Stephen Kenny’s misery. The clash between the sides currently occupying the bottom two places in Group B at the Aviva Stadium could prove make or break for Kenny after Friday’s 2-1 defeat in Greece left his team pointless and with his critics once again on the offensive. Gibraltar, who are ranked 201st by FIFA, have lost each of their three opening fixtures against the Greeks, the Netherlands and France 3-0 and while the odds may be heavily stacked against them in Dublin, Europa defender Olivero is relishing the task ahead. He said: “The game for us is a final. Ireland are a great nation and a really, really big team, and they’ve always competed at the very top. “This is what we want. We want to compete against the very best and we prepare with everything we have for every game we have, and that’s what we’re looking to do in our next game. “We compete with everything we have and that’s the most important thing for us.” Ireland were decidedly second-best in Athens as they followed up a 1-0 home defeat by France in their opening fixture – in which they produced a spirited display – with a tepid performance. Asked if Gibraltar could capitalise on the fall-out from that game, manager Jose Ribas said: “It’s important that we focus on our game. “Ireland are a great side regardless of their form at the moment. We’ve seen them playing against Greece, we’ve seen them playing against France and they’ve put in good performances. “We respect them, they’re a great side.” Ribas, who has been in charge since 2018, has assimilated a new generation of players into his squad, but has retained vast experience with defender Roy Chipolina, 40, and 41-year-old striker Lee Casciaro starting against France and 37-year-old Scott Wiseman, who enjoyed a 13-year career in English league football, coming off the bench. Asked how important that experience to his team, the Uruguayan said: “It’s obviously very important. “We’ve got 23 players – some who are unfortunately not with the squad now – some of whom have played right through from Under-17s level, and of course it’s very important to have these very experienced players who have been through a lot with Gibraltar. “We’ve only been admitted to UEFA very recently and it’s great that these young players have that experience to help them. We believe with that, they will grow.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Andy Murray wins back-to-back tournaments with Nottingham Open success Rob Burrow pushed around Leeds fun run course by daughters on Father’s Day Peter Drury joins Sky Sports after Martin Tyler’s departure

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TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 11, 2023--

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A pair of top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are asking Chairman James Comer to look into whether the accused foreign agent who claims to be a “whistleblower” against President Joe Biden and his son was acting to further Chinese interests when he accused the Bidens of crimes. In a letter to Mr Comer, Ranking Member Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Representative Daniel Goldman of New York expressed “concern” that the Oversight Committee “has been manipulated” by alleged arms dealer Gal Luft, who they described as “an apparent con man who, while a fugitive from justice, attempted to fortify his defense by laundering unfounded and potentially false allegations through Congres”. The alleged GOP whistleblower, an Israeli-American think tank founder, was indicted last November on charges that he allegedly trafficked arms, acted as a foreign agent for China and violated US sanctions on Iran. Mr Luft, who was arrested in February by Cypriot authorities, jumped bail while awaiting extradition to the US and has been on the run ever since. While he claims he is being persecuted by the federal government because he provided derogatory information about the Biden family to the FBI in a 2019 interview, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams said in a statement that he “engaged in multiple, serious criminal schemes”. “He subverted foreign agent registration laws in the United States to seek to promote Chinese policies by acting through a former high-ranking U.S. Government official; he acted as a broker in deals for dangerous weapons and Iranian oil; and he told multiple lies about his crimes to law enforcement,” Mr Williams said. Mr Raskin and Mr Goldman noted that the false statement charges against Mr Luft “eviscerate” his credibility, even as Mr Comer has continued to call him “a very credible witness” despite the fact that Mr Luft remains a fugitive from justice. They also pointed out that Mr Luft is alleged to have lied to FBI agents during the same March 2019 interview at which he claims to have provided information to the bureau about Hunter Biden, and suggested that Mr Luft’s claims against the president and his son may be part of a Chinese-backed effort to undermine US interests and Mr Biden’s presidency. “It appears as if Mr. Luft sought ‘whistleblower’ status from you in an effort to defend himself from criminal prosecution while a fugitive from justice. Worse yet, this latest episode also raises concerns that Mr. Luft may be manipulating your investigation not only for his own self-interest but perhaps also in furtherance of the CCP’s efforts to undermine U.S. security interests and the President of the United States,” they said. “These recent revelations naturally raise broader concerns about the credibility and motivations of other purported whistleblowers that Congressional Republicans have relied on to support unfounded and baseless allegations. Sadly, the Luft episode severely undermines the credibility of the critical function of whistleblowers in this body”. The Democratic representatives called on Mr Comer to stop withholding documents relating to Mr Luft from members of the minority on the committee, and asked him to initiate an investigation into whether his panel has been manipulated by Mr Luft in service of a foreign power. “In order to protect the Congress’s institutional credibility and to reassure the American people that the CCP is not using Republicans’ investigations as a vehicle to undermine the United States government, we urge you to immediately initiate an investigation into whether the Committee may have been unwittingly duped by Mr. Luft in furtherance of the CCP’s interests, as well as any potentially false statements made by Mr. Luft to Members of Congress or congressional staff,” they said. Read More He claimed to have dirt on the Bidens. Now the DoJ say he’s a Chinese spy. Who is Gal Luft? GOP cries foul over spy charges for Biden ‘whistleblower’ ‘Whistleblower’ who accused Bidens of corruption is charged with arms trafficking and violating Iran sanctions DC promises a 'very, very robust' police presence to maintain public safety over July 4 holiday GOP had evidence disproving Biden bribery claims in 2019, top Democrat says Finland's new finance minister apologizes for racist comments in 2008 blog post

The Arizona Diamondbacks don't have many well-known names in their bullpen